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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25543993">Counterpart.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightsofblue/pseuds/lightsofblue'>lightsofblue</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:02:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,321</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25543993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightsofblue/pseuds/lightsofblue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my work for the second prompt: counterpart. I decided to go with a modern AU of the painted lady/the blue spirit parallel. Enjoy!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Painted Lady (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), The Blue Spirit &amp; Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Counterpart.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was midnight. That part of the city was not only asleep, but also lonely at that hour. Katara appreciated it, it was easier to graffiti when there were no prying eyes or cars to stop and take a look at you.</p><p><br/>
The girl tied up her hair and hid her face behind a cap, even though she didn't remember that there were cameras in that area, it was better to be safe.</p><p><br/>
This would be her third work, the last one (which she had done two weeks ago) lasted just four days before the owner of the building made it disappear under layers of monotonous paint. This time she would do something similar to a self-portrait.</p><p>She had a picture of herself, also several cans of spray paint, and began working on the wall that had been so "nicely" covered with white paint. She worked with shades of brown for her skin and hair, blue for her eyes. She used black for some lines, red for her lips and some details on her cheeks and arms from the drawing.</p><p>After several hours of work Katara completed the graffiti. It was herself, but with larger eyes, features hidden under a veil, and red paint marks. She signed it, writing "<strong><em>by the painted lady.</em></strong>"</p><p><br/>
She was satisfied. She didn't think her graffiti would change anyone's life, but she did think it brought a little happiness, she knew because she had felt that herself: a warm feeling in her chest when she saw an anonymous work on any wall in the city. It made her happy to be able to bring happiness anonymously.</p><p><br/>
She saved her leftover spray painting and went home.</p><p><br/>
***</p><p><br/>
She passed by that place two days later, just to check if the owner of the building had already covered up her work, what she saw was something totally different, something she did not expect. She slowed down on her bike and came over. Every red line she had drawn was now blue. The lips, the lines on her arms, her cheeks. All blue. Katara looked where she had signed and under the "by the painted lady" someone had written "<strong><em>and the blue spirit.</em></strong>"</p><p><br/>
The blue spirit? She looked up her cell phone and googled that curious pseudonym. Nothing.</p><p><br/>
Since there was no way of knowing who it was, she let it go. Although contradictory, she liked knowing that someone was paying attention to her art beyond just looking at it.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p><br/>
<em>Two weeks later.</em>
</p><p>Her work and the details that the blue spirit had added to it, perished, this time under red paint. Katara was grateful for that and that night she rode her bike to the site. She took out cans of red, orange and yellow spray paint. She made a detailed scarlet sunset and signed it with a “<strong><em>by the painted lady</em></strong>" again and added "<strong><em>she always paints red.</em></strong>"</p><p><br/>
Secretly, she was hoping to get an answer.</p><p><br/>
She got it three days later, but it was nothing like what she had imagined. Katara believed that the blue spirit would add some clouds, a piece of blue sky, perhaps?</p><p><br/>
But no, the blue spirit's answer covered half the wall. While the sun Katara designed was setting on the far left, a silver-colored moon was rising on the far right. Where the left was orange clouds and a reddish sky, the right was silver clouds and blue sky. The blue spirit signed it with "<strong><em>the blue spirit, he always paints blue.</em></strong>"</p><p><br/>
Katara was flattered and also tremendously curious.<br/>
But she waited for her graffiti and the unknown blue spirit to disappear under the paint again. </p><p><br/>
***</p><p><br/>
When the wall went back to one color Katara decided to do something different. That week she bought blue spray paint and during that night she turned the wall into an underwater paradise.</p><p><br/>
This time she signed: <strong><em>by the painted lady, sometimes she paints blue.</em></strong></p><p><br/>
Katara passed by the site a couple of days later, encountering a drawing of a magnificent mermaid. The red tail, the brown hair... It didn't take long for her to notice that it bore similarities to the self-portrait that had started it all. It was signed "<em><strong>by the blue spirit, sometimes he paints red.</strong></em>" </p><p>Katara touched the lines, a smile on her lips. </p><p><br/>
She decided she wanted to go through with it, even though she had decided that already?</p><p><br/>
For three months that wall witnessed a conversation that used colors and strokes as words. The themes varied from ocean to space, from life to death and from loneliness to passion. They always used shades of blue and red, sometimes they exchanged them, sometimes they stayed with the one that corresponded.</p><p><br/>
Katara passed by often, much more than before, on her way out of class or on her way to work. She used to wonder if anyone else had noticed what was happening on that wall, between the red and the blue, or if it was just graffiti with no depth for them... She wondered if it meant something else to the blue spirit, or if it was just for fun.</p><p><br/>
But most of all, she thought about the blue spirit, she wondered what kind of boy he was, what kind of music he liked, if he preferred to go on foot or like her, he would have a bicycle.</p><p><br/>
It was ironic, because he seemed to know the most intimate opinions of that person, but had no idea of the banal details.</p><p><br/>
One afternoon, as she was coming back from buying new cans of spray paint, she decided she wanted to meet him.</p><p><br/>
That night Katara created a mural full of lilies. She colored every flower red, except one. There she wrote "<em><strong>Would you paint one night, with me</strong></em>?"<br/>
Katara, anxious, returned the next day. The colorless lily was now painted blue, a "<em><strong>Yes</strong></em>." Written with delicacy.</p><p> </p><p>Katara bought spray paint that same afternoon. She was excited to meet this person, whoever he was.</p><p><br/>
She waited for the owner of the wall to cover the graffiti with paint, as usual. And the first night after that, she sat down by the wall, which now had a monotonous grey color, and waited. She waited for long minutes, with nothing but the sidewalk lights as her company. After an hour of waiting she began to wonder if this had been a bad idea, perhaps the blue spirit had repented. Or maybe he had seen her and she was not living up to his expectations. Or maybe the whole blue spirit thing was nothing more than a joke, a bad joke... She felt stupid and decided it was better to leave. She picked up her backpack from the ground, ready to go, and starting walking away. </p><p><br/>
"Wait, are you the painted lady?" she heard. Katara turned, surprised.  She found a boy with long black hair and golden eyes.</p><p><br/>
"Yes, I am." She said. "Are you the blue spirit?" she asked.</p><p><br/>
"Yes, I am." The boy answered.</p><p><br/>
Katara noticed that almost half of his face was covered by a red scar.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, you are late." She said.</p><p><br/>
"I know, I'm sorry. I just... for a moment I thought this wouldn't be a good idea."</p><p><br/>
Katara composed a smile, realizing they have already a second thing in common. She started walking back to the wall. The girl pulled a spray paint can from her backpack and threw it at the blue spirit. </p><p><br/>
"Don't worry. Let's paint first. If we finish late enough, or well, early enough, we can go somewhere for coffee. I'm Katara, by the way."</p><p><br/>
"I am Zuko." Said the boy. "Although I prefer tea. My uncle has a teashop, we can go there."</p><p><br/>
"Deal." She said, starting to graffits.</p><p>****</p><p>The next day Kuei, owner of the building, woke up to find a mural that looked like an ode to purple twilights. He decided that he would not paint that wall for a while.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments and suggestions are welcomed!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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